From Sketch to Screen with Costume Designer Debra McGuire

Summary

Kennedy Saves the World: Episode Summary

Podcast Information:

• Title: Kennedy Saves the World
• Host: FOX News Podcasts
• Episode: From Sketch to Screen with Costume Designer Debra McGuire
• Release Date: August 13, 2025

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Introduction: The Artistry of Costume Design

In the episode titled "From Sketch to Screen with Costume Designer Debra McGuire," host Kennedy delves into the often-overlooked world of costume design in television and film. Emphasizing that costumes are pivotal in shaping characters and forging emotional connections with audiences, Kennedy introduces Deborah McGuire as one of the most legendary costume designers in the industry.

Kennedy [00:10]:
"Even if you don't think about it, there is a creative mind doing so much work... one of the deepest emotional connections that you have outside of the actor themselves is the costume designer."

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Deborah McGuire’s Journey and Career Highlights

Deborah McGuire shares insights into her illustrious career, highlighting her work on iconic shows and films such as Friends, Anchorman, New Girl, Freaks and Geeks, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Superbad. She reflects on the challenges and rewards of her profession, emphasizing the importance of a supportive team.

Deborah McGuire [02:08]:
"Our job is very difficult, but the work itself is joyous when you surround yourself with people that you love... our team became my secondary family."

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Designing for Friends: Creativity Meets Practicality

Discussing her work on Friends, Deborah explains her approach to costume design, likening it to creating a cohesive painting. She meticulously crafted outfits that complemented each character while ensuring that the costumes supported the comedic elements of the show without becoming distracting.

Deborah McGuire [03:42]:
"I approached the entire thing like I was making a painting... ensuring that the colors and textures worked together to create a beautiful assemblage."

Kennedy probes into the first fitting experience, revealing a heartwarming moment where Deborah balanced her professional role with personal life, bringing her newborn to the fitting.

Deborah McGuire [05:38]:
"I showed up with my baby in a basket, and meeting the cast was amazing... it was the beginning of life for the six of them in so many ways."

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Evolution of Character Costumes and Iconic Styles

The conversation shifts to the transformation of characters' appearances over time, particularly focusing on Jennifer Aniston's iconic "Rachel" haircut and evolving style. Deborah elucidates how Jennifer's natural charisma and on-screen presence amplified the impact of her costumes, making even simple outfits appear effortlessly stylish.

Deborah McGuire [09:34]:
"Jennifer has a magic about her... even a sloppy T-shirt and jeans look hot because everything is altered to perfection."

Kennedy references a memorable dress from Season 4, prompting Deborah to reminisce about sourcing unique pieces from London that became timeless symbols of the show.

Deborah McGuire [10:37]:
"The yellow brocade dress from London became one of my favorites and remains iconic ten years later."

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Creativity in Anchorman: Integrating Costume with Character

Transitioning to her work on Anchorman, Deborah discusses the collaborative and intensive process of designing costumes that reflect different eras. She highlights the unique approach taken by director Adam McKay, who was deeply involved in the creative process, allowing Deborah to craft costumes that were integral to the film's storytelling.

Deborah McGuire [13:19]:
"Adam gave me an inordinate amount of attention... we created something amazing where the clothes became another character."

She recounts the rigorous fitting sessions with actors like John C. Reilly, emphasizing the dedication required to achieve authenticity and comedic effect.

Deborah McGuire [19:21]:
"We did fittings that were five and six hours long, with actors fully embodying their characters through their costumes."

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Challenges and Reflections on the Future of Costume Design

As the conversation progresses, Deborah addresses the current challenges facing the arts, including the impact of technology and AI on creative professions. She offers advice to aspiring artists, stressing the importance of intuition, adaptability, and staying open to diverse opportunities.

Deborah McGuire [20:39]:
"Even with AI, you still have to be an artist to create the magic it can provide... stay open to opportunities and the world around you."

She expresses concern over the diminishing opportunities in the industry but remains hopeful, encouraging young artists to remain resilient and passionate.

Deborah McGuire [20:39]:
"Young people must follow the path to be an artist in whichever way they can... the human experience is never going to change."

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Conclusion: Celebrating an Inspirational Career

Kennedy and Deborah conclude the episode by acknowledging her remarkable contributions to costume design and her enduring influence on both the industry and aspiring artists. Deborah's dedication, creativity, and adaptability serve as an inspiration, underscoring the irreplaceable value of human artistry in an evolving technological landscape.

Kennedy [23:34]:
"That humanity, that intuition, that artistry, it is irreplaceable, as is your work. Deborah McGuire, thank you so much for taking the time. Such an incredible career and so much more to come."

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Key Takeaways:

• Costume Design's Impact: Costumes play a crucial role in character development and audience connection.
• Collaborative Creativity: Successful costume design hinges on close collaboration with directors, writers, and actors.
• Adaptability and Intuition: Embracing change and relying on artistic intuition are vital in navigating the evolving landscape of the arts.
• Inspiration and Resilience: Deborah McGuire's career exemplifies passion, resilience, and the enduring power of creative expression.

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For those who haven't tuned into the episode, this conversation offers an in-depth look into the meticulous and passionate world of costume design, highlighting how behind-the-scenes artistry shapes beloved characters and stories.

Transcript

[Kennedy]

Hello and welcome to this episode of Kennedy Saves the World. When you think about your favorite movies and TV shows, so often what you think about but are not distracted by are the clothes and costumes that your beloved characters wore throughout. And what a character wears is so emblematic of who they are and why you are connected to their story. Even if you don't think about it, there is a creative mind doing so much work, connecting with the writing and the lines and the storylines and the arc and the motivation of this person and the artistry that connects the living person, the actor who reads the lines and brings the character to life, and the creative vision of the showrunner and the show's writers and the movie writer and producers. And the person who brings all of that together to create one of the deepest emotional connections that you have outside of the actor themselves is the costume designer. You know, when we think about our favorite shows, we think about people like Deborah McGuire, who is one of the most legendary costume designers who has worked in TV and film. Deborah, welcome to Kennedy Saves the World.

[Deborah McGuire]

Thank you. Glad to be here. That was quite an intro.

[Kennedy]

So, you know, looking at what you do, anyone who has any sort of good personal style and a sense of artistry would look at your job and think of it as a dream job. You've worked on Friends, one of my very favorite movies of all time. Anchorman, New Girl, freaks and geeks, 40 year old virgin, Superbad. So is it a dream job being a costume designer for TV and film?

[Deborah McGuire]

Well, you make it sound very glamorous. But, you know, our job is. It's a very difficult job and it's wonderful to be associated with all these fantastic projects, but the work itself is, you know, it's difficult. The way that I have made that difficult work be joyous is to surround myself with people that I love. So in doing these projects and having to leave my children my whole life in order to do this work, I had to hire people who would become my secondary family. And that is the way that I was able to get through doing these projects and loving doing them. The work itself is quite difficult. And if you don't have a team where you're in sync and really care about each other, it can be a really grueling process. And, you know, at this stage in my life, I've talked to a lot of friends who are costume designers who don't have a career like I've had. But it's not about the projects, it's about the quality of the projects and that I have had well, it's so.

[Kennedy]

Difficult also because, you know, with some of the shows that you've done, some of the outfits are outrageous and legendary and memorable, but they can't. They can't be distracting and that. I mean, on a show like Friends, when you've got six lead characters, that seems almost like an impossibility.

[Deborah McGuire]

Well, for me, having come from the world of fine art into a project like Friends, that was one of the, you know, kind of the beginning of my career. That was 1994. I really moved to Los Angeles in 1990 and started a new career. So it was early on in my process of actually learning this career. I approached the entire thing like I was making a painting. I didn't know about how people design things, and I'm a painter, so I designed it like a painter. So I've got six characters. They gotta look great together. So am I gonna be concerned about what everybody's wearing, or am I gonna look at the whole assemblage and make sure that they look beautiful together, that they have colors and textures that work together? So that. That's how I approached it. And in doing that and having Marta Kaufman, who was one of the writer executive producers at my side, to review my weekly line of clothes, she would always add so much to understanding the intent of the joke or what was really going on on a level that I may not have been connected to so that I could make adjustments that would be appropriate. Because certainly we. We don't want the clothes to be, you know, distracting or noticeable in any way, especially in comedy.

[Kennedy]

Yes. And when you've got, you know. And I can't imagine what it was like. Well, I can. I mean, I was. I was on MTV at the time, and I was living in New York. And I remember when the show took off, because you went from essentially six unknown leads. Courtney Cox is probably the most known among them. Two absolute superstars. So what was it like in that first fitting? And. And what did. Meeting them for the first time, how did that inform how you were going to design the costumes for each character?

[Deborah McGuire]

Well, first of all, I should tell you that I had my second child on a Thursday, and I was at the fittings on a Monday. I was 42 years old, and I had a baby in a basket. And I showed up and met everybody for the first time, and they all looked at that baby in the basket and were like, is that a real baby?

[Kennedy]

Yeah, I did.

[Deborah McGuire]

So just to give you some context of where I was coming from. So that first fitting was amazing because I was Meeting, you know, I was a grown up and they were children and darling and amazing. And it was, you know, I can't even explain. I have the Polaroids, by the way, of all my early fittings with them. So all you have to do is look at my Polaroids and you get that. You know, it was so the beginning of life for, you know, the six of them in so many ways. And, you know, I was just. It was just. That's what excites me about doing projects is that moment of getting to know each other and being in the fitting room and seeing who is that character.

[Kennedy]

And were there, aha. Moments with each of them when you're fitting them for the first time, were there things you realized that you wanted to do that hadn't occurred to you before you met them?

[Deborah McGuire]

It's always that way. I mean, it's like that on big films also, you know, you can make presentations to directors with which I think is ridiculous, because until the actual actor is cast in the role, that's when it sort of becomes alive. And when you can actually imagine what that is. Otherwise it's so abstract. So, no, just having them there and being able to experiment and put things on. But I already remember had in my mind this idea of palette and colors, and it was a matter for me of figuring out who looked good in what and what that color story was gonna look like. Plus, you know, it's New York, so it's not California. So that color story is gonna be different than the color story would be if it was in Los Angeles. So I was thinking that way, and that's kind of how it all came together. The other thing is, I thought, oh, well, I'm a designer. I need to design and make everything for all of them. So I actually attempted to do a lot of that in couple of years.

[Kennedy]

But that was impossible.

[Deborah McGuire]

It was kind of impossible. And I got with the program after a while because, you know, in order to make clothes, you have to have fittings, and in order to have fittings, you have to have time to have fittings.

[Kennedy]

So you're. You're in. I mean, there was such a distinct look in New York in the mid-90s. But you're doing a show in Los Angeles. Did you have to go to New York to get inspiration to really figure out what people were wearing from time to time?

[Deborah McGuire]

Well, I lived in New York from 1980 to 1990, so I was very ingrained in the New York City state of mind. So, no, I didn't really have to think about It.

[Kennedy]

Okay, good for you. I love that. The other thing is, I think the biggest transformation in terms of hotness because they all got like super hot throughout the show. But Jennifer Aniston and I was looking at your Instagram and some earlier pictures of the show and she was so cute. You know, she was cute and kind of round faced and had the Rachel haircut. But then she went to hot when. When she started dating Brad Pitt and. And even before that, like, she went to another level of hotness. How did that inform your costume design? Because there is a visible difference between the earlier episodes and seasons of the show. And then when. When she became like, super hot, you.

[Deborah McGuire]

Know, I've been working with her now, you know, for 31 years. And Jennifer has a magic about her that comes through on the camera and it's a physicality that is. You can't really even describe it. What happens when she puts clothes on. And it's just a remarkable thing. I mean, she could have a sloppy T shirt on and a pair of jeans and she still looks hot. But you also have to remember that everything was altered. Everything was altered to their body. So as a viewer, you're looking and you're like, oh, I gotta get that T shirt. I gotta get those jeans.

[Kennedy]

I would love to look like that too. Yeah.

[Deborah McGuire]

But everything does not come out of the bag and look that way. Everything is altered to the nth degree to perfection in terms of where it hits.

[Kennedy]

What. Do you remember this dress?

[Deborah McGuire]

Season four, 1998.

[Kennedy]

If that's your favorite dress.

[Deborah McGuire]

Yeah.

[Kennedy]

That's awesome. Tell me about it.

[Deborah McGuire]

So it was when we were shooting in London and I discovered I had a boutique, by the way, in California in Pacific Palisades.

[Kennedy]

What was it called?

[Deborah McGuire]

What? Deborah McGuire.

[Kennedy]

Wow.

[Deborah McGuire]

For 10 years. And we went to London and there was a boutique very much like mine and it was called Idol London. And I was completely blown away by the sensibility and the beauty of those clothes. And I bought a lot of things for. For Jennifer, for Rachel, and also for Phoebe's character because they had these like amazing velvet dresses that were sewn together with metallic thread. And the artistry doesn't even come through to the extent. But when Jennifer walked into that yellow brocade dress, I just knew that that was for me. That dress was it 10 years. That's the dress that's amazing. So good for you. Good for you that you picked it out.

[Kennedy]

No, I love it like it is. There's so many pieces from show that are absolutely iconic. But are you like a medium? A Psychic medium where you see something and you're just like, overcome with, you know, a voice from another realm that's like, I have to have this right now.

[Deborah McGuire]

First of all, people did. I mean, you know, to this day, I have 12 year olds reaching out, asking where they can get things because they have no idea that the show was 30 years ago.

[Kennedy]

Yes, but that's the other thing about it. Like this. This show is so regenerative.

[Deborah McGuire]

No, it's so unbelievable from my perspective because those emails keep coming. They've never stopped. And it's extraordinary, really. But that dress, when that dress came out, I'm curious because I never talked to the girls that owned Idle London, but I wonder what it did for their business. But they're not there anymore because I went after them and they're not there anymore. But it is really interesting. Sort of the things that really hit, you know, big time.

[Kennedy]

I mean, another movie that it's. The costumes are so funny because you did get to go over the top and Anchorman. But again, like, they're funny, they're perfect. They match every single person, you know, from Will Frell to Paul Rudd to Christina Applegate. How much fun did you have with that? And what license did you give with yourself from the era on Anchorman?

[Deborah McGuire]

Okay, so Anchorman, hands down, was just. For me, it was unbelievable. I walked into that interview. It was Judd Apatow, of course, who I knew, who brought me in because I'd already worked for Judd, but the rest of the producers. What did you already work on then? I mean, I had done Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. And what did we do before Anchorman? I don't know, but I did all those early films and I did, you know, superbad. And I think that was all before. And. But I walked in and I brought a Polaroid. And the Polaroid was me in 1970, probably 1972. And I'm standing in front of the gates in Berkeley with a couple of my friends and. And I just handed them the Polaroid and I was like, okay, first of all, I could do this with my eyes closed. Like, I am so still in this era in my brain, it's my life, it's my youth. This is. This is. I really can do it. And color wise and palette wise, to me, it was like my heart was pounding. So I got lucky because Adam McKay had never directed a film before and he gave me an inordinate amount of attention which directors don't do. I just have to say, I not only had Adam's attention. But from the beginning, we were able to look at the scenes and the way that it was going to be blocked and everything so that I could do my painting palette and I could create little paintings for all of these scenarios and color coordinate everything. And everything was done prior to the first day of shooting. That has never happened before and it's never happened since. And I really think a lot of it had to do with the fact that it was Adam's first. And I felt really good about having him completely in my world and me and his. And I think we created something amazing where the clothes became another character.

[Kennedy]

Don't go anywhere more Kennedy Saves the world right after this. This is Jimmy Phela inviting you to join me for FOX Across America where we'll discuss every single one of the Democrats dumb ideas. Just kidding. It's only a three hour show.

[Deborah McGuire]

Listen live at noon Eastern or get.

[Kennedy]

The [e-mail] that's the best way to put it because you can look back and just think about the clothes in that movie and you laugh. It's, it's, it's so, it's so good. It's so rich and obviously like, and that has to be another level for you because the actor has to be almost inspired and, you know, pushed to another level, especially in comedy when they inhabit those clothes. Like, you know, it has to be transformative, I'm guessing for you.

[Deborah McGuire]

Well, Will Ferrell's amazing. I mean, and he also is the kind of actor that if it's 90 degrees out and he has to we Irish wool sweater, he doesn't make a peep.

[Kennedy]

Wow. You know, and I'm sure, I'm sure there are plenty of people who peep.

[Deborah McGuire]

But yeah, a lot of peeps.

[Kennedy]

It's, it's always good to hear about the ones that, that didn't. So what resonates with you most? Like if, if you could have, if you could have one section of your portfolio to give to the gods of fashion who would bestow upon you the gilded crown of costume glory for one piece of work that you've done, what would it be?

[Deborah McGuire]

You know, I don't really know how to answer that because my approach to everything, no matter if it's a million dollar movie or a 250 million dollar movie, I approach it exactly the same way. And I get so much out of it, whether it's contemporary or period. Just I'm a very intuitive person and it's the way that I design and create everything. I've been really Lucky this last year, I took seven months off to write a book, which actually ended up being two books. And so I was really able to stop and really reflect on the whole. The whole. My life from 1952 to present and my entire career. I would say that, you know, there were definitely highlights. There's no doubt about it. And in doing a movie like walk hard, which was 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, up into the present, and having someone, you know, the actors, the support, the Jake Kasdan, that movie, I really think when we were doing that movie, we thought we were making the greatest movie that had ever been made.

[Kennedy]

That's fantastic.

[Deborah McGuire]

It was shocking to all of us that it didn't really make it in terms of being. I think it's now become a cult film. But I think at the time, we just. We were just in shock that it didn't, you know, break the box office. But that happens sometimes where you're making the greatest movie in the world and it doesn't happen. But in terms of my. I'd have to say that. That and anchorman, maybe just because of the process. And we did amazing things. Like, first of all, John C. Reilly loves clothes, loves costumes. We did fittings with him for each period. And Kathy Hahn, who was my number one at the time, she created musical tapes for each era. So as we fit, we did the. We were in the music, so. But we did fittings with him that were five and six hours long.

[Kennedy]

Wow.

[Deborah McGuire]

And, I mean, that even pushed my endurance, which I think is really good. He would put things on, and he put rollerblades on and Rollerblade down the stairs so he could go to Jake's office to show him what he had on. And it was like. It was, like, unbelievable. And we also had the hair person there, Laurie, who. Who would put the wigs on for each era as we were dressing, which made it even more amazing. So that whole process of, like, probably six fittings, five, six hours each, the most amazing clothes ever. I still have the boards of all, I think, 110 costumes. And I have the boards in my office. And I just love looking at them because it was. Yeah, it was. It was amazing.

[Kennedy]

What would you tell someone? Because nowadays, you know, they're. Obviously, you have younger generations of people who are kind of being talked out of the art. And you also have AI, which is replacing the creative process for so many people. You talked about intuition and how important that is. What would you tell someone in college right now who's flirting with a career in the Arts, but is maybe trepidatious about it.

[Deborah McGuire]

You know, it's interesting. I have a colleague who two years ago anticipated the AI thing and so educated himself in AI and is now doing the AI films. What he said to me is, you still have to be an artist, you still have to be a creator in order to make the magic that AI could provide. You can't just be derivative in the medium and make it special. So even though I know very little about it, I would say that that would be something that I think would be a good part of the education to learn AI, to learn about it. I think it's a difficult time. Forget about the arts. I mean, I think it's a difficult time for everything, but especially in the arts, especially in our business. I mean, I wrote these books to be inspirational to young people, but I'm worried. I'm worried about young people in my business. After the fires in California, I volunteered for three months. And during that process, I met a lot of amazing young people who are just starting in the career, and they hadn't worked and there was no prospects of work. And so I'm not really sure what's going on in my industry right now, but it's not good and people aren't working. And so I have a hard time encouraging people when there's no work. However, if you're an artist, you must follow the path to be an artist in whichever way, and it can ebb and flow. I've had three major careers in three completely different aspects of the arts. I started as a fine artist. I, I, through happenstance and opportunity, fell into being a jewelry designer, and then from jewelry design, kind of flipped in some way into being a costume designer. None of them were anticipated. They all happened because I was open to opportunities and to things. And I think young people have to just stay open, stay open to the world. I think what's happening, technology, and with phones and computers, I think there's too much of this. You need to be in the world, you need to be traveling, you need to be seeing the world and opening yourself to things that you may not have thought about or anticipated. But if you close yourself off to this world of technology, you're going to be lost to what really, those opportunities, they're never going to change. No matter how our culture changes, that human experience is never going to change. And we must be receptive to it.

[Kennedy]

And you know that, that humanity, that intuition, that artistry, it is irreplaceable, as is your work. Deborah McGuire, thank you so much for taking the time. Such an incredible career and so much more to come. You're truly an inspiration. Thank you.

[Deborah McGuire]

Thank you, honey. Nice to meet you.

[Kennedy]

You, too. This has been Kennedy Saves the World along with Deborah McGuire. I'm Kennedy. Listen ad free with a Fox News podcast plus subscription on Apple podcast and Amazon prime, members can listen to this show ad free on the Amazon Music app. Oh, go ahead and leave me a review while you're there. I'd love to hear what you have to say. You've been listening to Kennedy Saves the World on the Fox News Podcast Network.

[Deborah McGuire]

I'm Janice Dean. Join me every Sunday as I focus on stories of hope and people who are truly rays of sunshine in their community and across the world. Listen and follow [e-mail].